Warren Buffett hates Japanese food, even if he loves investing in Japan: ‘it was the worst’
- The billionaire investor swore off Japanese food for life after a disastrous sushi dinner at the New York apartment of Sony’s then-chairman in 1989
- ‘He had not realised there were this many things on the planet that could be eaten raw,’ his biographer wrote. Buffett prefers a McDonald’s and Coke
Notably, Buffett swore off Japanese food for life after a disastrous sushi dinner in 1989. Alice Schroeder recounted the story in her biography of him, The Snowball: Warren Buffett and The Business of Life.
As a picky eater, Buffett had attended many events where he ate nothing expect bread rolls. While he hadn’t tried Japanese food, he doubted it would be to his liking.
After sitting down for dinner, Buffett watched as his companions slurped down mysterious broths and tucked into rubbery, unidentifiable specialities. He couldn’t stomach trying anything placed in front of him, and mumbled excuses to the waiters when they whisked away his food.
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“Course after course arrived, and each of his plates went back, untouched,” Schroeder writes. “He had not realised there were this many things on the planet that could be eaten raw.”
Buffett was sweating and squirming in his seat. He felt embarrassed, worried that he was offending the chefs, and certain he was disgracing himself in front of his hosts.
Hours passed, and nothing appeared that was remotely appealing to him. Buffett thought longingly of hamburgers, and dreamed of escaping to his friend’s nearby apartment and enjoying some popcorn, peanuts and strawberry ice cream. “By the end of 15 courses, he had still not eaten a bite,” Schroeder writes.
It was by far the worst. I will never eat Japanese food again
“It was the worst,” Buffett told Schroeder. “I’ve had others like that, but it was by far the worst. I will never eat Japanese food again.”
